The document summarizes the results of a survey of 805 IT professionals working with SAP systems. It finds that over half work for SAP customer companies and 43% for SAP implementation partners. The median salary for those in North America is over 25% higher than Europe and 35% higher than Asia/Pacific and rest of world. Experience level most impacts salary, with over 10 years giving a 44% higher median than 1-6 years. Project management, business expertise, and communication skills are cited as most valuable for career advancement. SAP-specific skills like Java/ABAP, enterprise architecture, and SAP upgrades are also highlighted.

1. What are the latest ERP income
evaluations & tendencies
How to Increase your value as IT
professional

2. 805 individuals have completed this survey *
The majority of the survey respondents (55%) are coming from
companies that are SAP customers and run their own business on the
SAP system. 43% represent SAP-partner organizations that help other
companies implement SAP. Customer vs. Integrator
Company Headquarters Location
39% of the survey respondents work for companies based in
North America, while 33% work for European companies. 28% of
the respondents work for companies based in other parts of the
world.
Panaya Inc. SAP Salary Survey – 2012 | http://go.panayainc.com/rs/panayainc/images/SAP_Salary_Survey_2012.pdf

3. Median Salary by Headquarters Location
The median salary of SAP professionals working
for companies based in North America is over
25% higher than the median salaries of those
working for companies based in Europe and over
35% higher than those working for companies
based in Asia Pacific and the Rest of the World
As expected, professionals
in director and manager
positions earn the most,
while SAP users have the
lowest salaries. The median
for the highest earning
position (ERP or
Application Director) is as
much as 75% higher than
the median for the lowest
earning position (SAP
Median Salary by Job Function
Super User).

4. Median Salary by Years of Experience
Job experience plays a major role in
determining salary levels. The median
salary for respondents with more than
10 years of experience is 44% higher
than for those with 1-6 years of
experience.
Median Salary by Experience and Gender
The picture is slightly different for
men and women as they progress
through their careers. The median
salary for female professionals starts
out higher than men’s, but then
takes a dip. The gap between male
and female salaries almost
completely disappears once they
reach ten or more years of
experience.

5. Change in Salary 2010 – 2011 by Company HQ Location
Salary increases were more common for SAP
professionals working for companies based in
APAC (66%), Latin America (67%) and the
Rest of the World (76%) than they were for
those employed by European (57%) or North
American companies (61%).
Concern about Job Stability by Job Location
Concern over job stability is clearly higher
among SAP professionals positioned in
APAC (53% somewhat concerned, 18%
highly concerned) and Latin America
(42% somewhat concerned, 25% highly
concerned) than it is in Europe (41%
somewhat concerned, 10% highly
concerned) and North America (45%
somewhat concerned, 8% highly
concerned).

6. Advancing Your Career and Market Value
1) Get certified
2) Understand the business side
3) Develop your communication skills
According to the respondents, the general skills most
4) Keep up to date with new technology
important for securing higher pay and additional job options
5) Be flexible and open to change
are project management (49%), business function expertise
(38%), analytical (37%), and communication (34%) skills.
Most Important General Skills

7. The most valuable technology skills, according to survey respondents,
are data visualization (41%), mobile application development (36%),
and enterprise collaboration (31%).
Most Important Technical Skills

8. In addition, the following SAP-specific skills are cited by respondents as the most
valuable for increasing the market value of the SAP professional:
Top Skills named by SAP Systems Administrators and Basis
and SAP Programmers - Java and/or ABAP
Enterprise Architecture/Integration Skills
Solution Manager Skills
SAP ERP 6.0 Upgrade Skills
Top Skills named by SAP Trainers, SAP Super Users, and Functional
SAP Business Objects and BI/BW Skills
SAP Specialists
Business Suite Skills (CRM, PLM, SRM, or SCM)
SAP Business Objects and BI/BW Skills
Top 3 Skills named by IT Directors and Managers, Application
SAP ERP 6.0 Upgrade Skills
Directors, and Project Managers
SAP Business Objects and BI/BW Skills
Business Suite Skills (CRM, PLM, SRM, or SCM)
SAP ERP 6.0 Upgrade Skills

9. Niche solutions to niche problems
Denitza Harizanova
Senior Account Manager
www.nicheitrecruitment.com | deni@nicheitrecruitment.com
Office +971 436 41 200 Mobile +971 529 259 001
London, Dubai, Sao Paulo
HDS Business Centre, JLT, PO box:487282, Dubai – UAE
Panaya Inc. SAP Salary Survey - 2012